1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for providing game services. The present invention more particularly relates to a game service provision device and method capable of selectively providing an optional game service as designated by a player and a compulsory game service not directly related to a designation made by the player.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Quiz game devices using a computer system successively present question images to a player, determine whether an answer to each question input by the player with use of operation keys is correct or not, shows the determination to the player, and evaluates the player""s result.
Some of these quiz game devices allow players to select the category of a question when, for example, the game is started or the like. In such a quiz game device, when a player designates and inputs the category of a question using operation keys, images of questions in that category are successively presented to the player. The quiz game device of this type makes it possible for a player to enjoy the category they are good at or the category they like.
However, such a quiz game device also has a drawback that it is possible for players to select only the questions in their favorite category. Therefore, if the categories selected by players are excessively concentrated, interesting questions in an unselected category cannot be provided to players.
The above-described problems are not peculiar to the quiz game device allowing selection of a question category, but are generally observed with game service provision devices selecting a game service to be actually provided to a player from a plurality of game services as designated by the player, such as a driving game device allowing selection of a driving course and a fighting game device allowing selection of an enemy character.
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a game service provision device and method capable of providing a compulsory game service which is not directly related to a designation made by a player in addition to an optional game service in accordance with the designation by the player.
In order to solve the above-described problems, a game service provision device of the present invention includes means for receiving a game service request from a player, means for transmitting a game service designation request to said player in response to said game service request, means for receiving a game service designation transmitted from said player in response to said game service designation request for designating at least one of a plurality of game services, means for transmitting the game service designated by said game service designation to said player as an optional game service, and means for transmitting to said player a compulsory game service selected from said plurality of game services based on predetermined basic information associated with said player on a predetermined condition instead of said game service designation request when said game service request is received.
A game service provision method of the present invention includes the steps of receiving a game service request from a player, transmitting a game service designation request to said player in response to said game service request, receiving a game service designation transmitted from said player in response to said game service designation request for designating at least one of said plurality of game services, transmitting the game service designated by said game service designation to said player as an optional game service, transmitting a compulsory game service selected from said plurality of game services based on predetermined basic information associated with said player on a predetermined condition instead of said game service designation request when said game service request is received.
According to the present invention, when a game service request is received from a player, a game service designation request is transmitted in response to the game service request. In response to such a designation request, a game service designation transmitted from the player is received. The game service designation designates at least one of a plurality of game services. The game service designated by this game service designation is transmitted to the player as an optional game service. On the other hand, according to the present invention, a compulsory game service is returned to the player at a predetermined probability instead of the game service designation request when a game service request is received from the player. Thus, a compulsory game service is provided to the player instead of requesting a game service designation. The compulsory game service is selected from a plurality of game services based on predetermined basic information associated with the player. The predetermined basic information can be produced, for example, based on the content of communication heretofore exchanged with each player. In this manner, a compulsory game service not directly related to a designation made by a player can be provided to the player in addition to an optional game service provided in accordance with the designation by the player, enhancing excitement of the game service provided by the game service provision device.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the present device further includes means for storing provision amount information indicating, for each game service, an amount of the game service provided to said player as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and means for selecting said compulsory game service from said plurality of game services based on said provision amount information. The provision amount information indicates, for example, the time period for which the game service is provided, the number of times the game service is provided, or the number of elements provided to the player when the game service is composed of respective service elements (such as respective questions in the quiz game service). According to the present invention, a compulsory game service can be selected in accordance with the amount of the game service has been provided to a player, so that a game process, such as selecting a game service which has been provided to the player only in a small amount as a compulsory game service, can be achieved.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the present device further includes means for storing result information indicating, for each game service, a result of the game service provided to said player as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and means for selecting said compulsory game service from said plurality of game services based on said result information. Thus, a compulsory game service can be selected for each player in accordance with the result of the game service, and therefore a game process, such as selecting a game service in which the player has not been played well as a compulsory game service, can be achieved.
A game service provision device according to the present invention is a game service provision device for selectively providing each of a plurality of players with an optional game service or a compulsory game service, comprising an optional game service selection means for acquiring a game service designation from said player and selecting a game service corresponding to said game service designation from a plurality of game services as said optional game service, basic information storage means for storing predetermined basic information in association with each of said plurality of players, and compulsory game service selection means for selecting said compulsory game service to be provided to each of said plurality of players from said plurality of game services based on said predetermined basic information.
Further, a game service provision method according to the present invention is a game service provision method for selectively providing a player with an optional game service or a compulsory game service, comprising acquiring a game service designation from said player and selecting a game service corresponding to said game service designation from a plurality of game services as said optional game service, storing and renewing basic information in association with said player, and selecting said compulsory game service to be provided to said player from said plurality of game services based on said basic information.
According to the present invention, an optional game service or a compulsory game service is selectively provided to each player. The optional game service is one of a plurality of game services that corresponds to a game service designation acquired from a player. On the other hand, the compulsory game service is a game service selected based on predetermined basic information associated with each player. Thus, the compulsory game service not directly related to a designation made by a player can be provided in addition to the optional game service in accordance with the designation by the player, enhancing excitement of the game service provided by the game service provision device.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, said optional game service or compulsory game service is selected so that said compulsory game service is provided at a smaller probability than said optional game service. As a result, the compulsory game service can be unexpectedly provided to players, further enhancing excitement and amusement of the game.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, said predetermined basic information is produced based on the content of communication heretofore exchanged with each of said plurality of players. Consequently, a compulsory game service based on the content of the past communication with each player can be provided to the player.
For example, said basic information storage means may store designated game service information identifying the game service already designated as said optional game service by each player in association with each of said plurality of players as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and said compulsory game service selection means may select, for each of said plurality of players, a game service not yet designated by the player as said compulsory game service to be provided to the player from said plurality of game services based on said designated service information associated with the player. As a result, the game service not yet designated by the player can be compulsorily provided to the player.
Further, for example, said basic information storage means may store provided game service information identifying, for each player, the game service already provided to the player as said optional or compulsory game service in association with each of said plurality of players as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and said compulsory game service selection means may select, for each of said plurality of players, a game service not yet provided to the player as said compulsory game service to be provided to the player from said plurality of services based on said provided game service information associated with the player. As a result, the game service not yet provided to the player can be compulsorily provided to the player.
Further, for example, said basic information storage means may store designation times information indicating, for each game service, the number of times each player has designated the game service as said optional game service in association with each of said plurality of players as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and said compulsory game service selection means may select said compulsory game service to be provided to each of said plurality of players from said plurality of game services based on said designation times information associated with the player. Thus, the compulsory game service based on the past designation times can be provided to the player. As a result, the game service which, for example, has been designated less frequently can be provided to the player as a compulsory game service.
Further, for example, said basic information storage means may store provision amount information indicating, for each game service, an amount of the game service which has been provided to each player as said optional or compulsory game service in association with each of said plurality of players as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and said compulsory game service selection means may select said compulsory game service to be provided to each of said plurality of players from said plurality of game services based on said provision amount information associated with the player. The provision amount information indicates, for example, the time period for which the game service is provided, the number of times the game service is provided, or the number of elements provided to the player when a game service is composed of respective service elements (such as respective questions in the quiz game service). Consequently, the compulsory game service can be selected in accordance with the amount of the game service provided to the player, so that a game process, such as selecting a game service which has been provided to the player only in a small amount as the compulsory game service, can be achieved.
Alternatively, for example, said basic information storage means may store result information of the game service already provided to each player as said optional or compulsory game service in association with each of said plurality of players as at least part of said predetermined basic information, and said compulsory game service selection means may select said compulsory game service to be provided to each of said plurality of players from said plurality of game services based on said result information associated with the player. As a result, the compulsory game service can be selected in accordance with each player""s result of the game service, so that a game process, such as selecting a game service in which the player has not been playing well as a compulsory game service, can be achieved.